{"id":76989,"date":"2017-08-18T14:09:21","date_gmt":"2017-08-18T21:09:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/?p=76989"},"modified":"2025-08-14T02:07:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T09:07:02","slug":"iot-safety-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/mobile-security\/iot-safety-home\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Navigate this Connected World"},"content":{"rendered":"

This blog was written in collaboration with\u00a0Kishore Jotwani<\/a>, Sr. Director of Marketing & Business Development for Intel\u2019s Wireless Consumer Infrastructure Platforms and Bill Zhou<\/a>, VP of product management, ARRIS.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Doors locked, windows shut, and alarm set. I should be safe… right?<\/p>\n

The Internet of Things (IoT)<\/a> is an ever-growing force that makes my everyday life easier. With real-world<\/a> applications aplenty, I can\u2019t imagine my life without IoT devices. Fitness wearables allow me to stay on track with my health goals, smart home security cameras keep my family and home safe, and even my smart oven helps me step up my cooking skills.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, as with anything else, there are two sides to this coin. Highlighted events over the past year have shown us that IoT devices, if not properly secured, can be vulnerable to attacks<\/a>. In October of 2016,\u00a0 the Dyn DDoS attack<\/a> leveraged, and infected, countless connected devices to shut down several popular sites, like Spotify and Twitter. Similarly, the Mirai<\/a> malware used vulnerable IoT devices, forming them into a botnet army, to stake its claim.<\/p>\n

Now more than ever, it\u2019s clear we live in an interconnected world, in which our homes present new opportunities for entry\u2014and I don\u2019t mean breaking a window. Instead of only having to worry about a physical break-in, we\u2019re faced with the threat of a cyber<\/em><\/strong> break-in\u2014one that aims to compromise connected home gadgets, and personal data to boot.<\/p>\n

I use connected devices to help make my life easier and streamline everyday processes, but without proper security, I\u2019m left as a sitting duck. Also, with the growing number of IoT devices in my home, they\u2019re all competing for network bandwidth and slow down my network speed.<\/p>\n

So, what can you do<\/a> to keep your home, and your family\u2019s data and devices secure without sacrificing network speed?<\/p>\n

The most important thing to note is that cybercriminals rely on the assumption that we, as consumers, won\u2019t be proactive when it comes to properly locking down our smart home devices, and the accounts connected to them.<\/p>\n

Tips to Stay Proactive<\/h2>\n

By following these tips, you can stay proactive and beat cybercriminals at their own game:<\/p>\n